Lately, when confronted with the opinions of my fellow Christians, I ask myself, "What were they thinking?" Truth is, I wonder if they've really thought through the opinions they put forth. In this blog I will attempt to provoke thought on some current issues. My thoughts might not mirror the popular view, but I hope they will help others consider the question, "What would Jesus think?"

About Me

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

A Question of Marriage

In my youth, I had extremely definitive opinions on any topic. There was yes/no, pro/con, right/wrong and black/white. As I age, I find myself living in a grey haze with opinions like “maybe” and “it depends.” Like so many other current issues, the question of legalizing same-sex marriages renders me ambivalent. One of my thoughts is that I strongly believe morality cannot be legislated. As a Christian, I find it difficult to adhere to the high standards that Jesus gave us in the Bible. I can only do so with constant help and grace from the Lord, and when I fail, I depend on his mercy. Therefore, it is unfair to expect non-Christians to obey laws in which they do not believe and for which they are not divinely equipped to obey. During his earthly ministry, Jesus overturned not one law, even though there were atrocious ones on the books at that time. When he was questioned on a point of law, specifically whether or not taxes should be paid, Jesus presented a coin to the people and asked. “Whose picture is on this coin?” When the people answered that it was Caesar’s, Jesus told them to “give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and give to God what is God’s.” By saying this, Jesus gave us a fine example of the separation of church and state. He did not try to get the government to implement his spiritual laws. He changed the world at the personal level, one soul at a time. Applying this thinking, I assert that it is not the job of moralists to make or change laws.

I would say the earthly life of Jesus has changed nothing about this world, fundamentally, and the plain facts of human history are with me on this. Sin is and has been precisely what it was before, during, and after his earthly ministry. Which brings us to this curious matter regarding the alleged possession of spiritual equipment with which to follow the Higher Law. Who has such equipment? I should surely like to meet such a person. I think it's fair to say that none of us who yet dwell in flesh and blood can so much as rise from our pallets in morning without risking the violation of one, a few, or all of those Ten simple Commandments throughout the day. To use Jesus' own standard ("If you so much as think it...") makes us all guilty, every day, all day. So yes, let's not foist the laws that only the pure can keep on the impure -- namely, people just like us.